Jan 26, 2018

Using the metric system 1,000 bytes would be a k, or
kilobyte, but in the computer industry a k is equal to 1024
bytes. That means each of the below metric designations are
approximate for computer terminology. Some medical computers
currently have storage measured in petabytes. Even as devices
have shrunk in size, demand for storage has increased in
inverse proportion.

Jan 1, 2014

This has been around for a while,
but still makes me laugh, so I felt compelled to share. It is time
to start the new year with a good hearty laugh.

Our teacher asked what is my favorite animal and I said, "Fried
chicken". She told me I am not funny, but she could not have been
right because everyone else laughed. My parents told me to always
tell the truth. I did. Fried chicken is my favorite animal. I told
my dad what happened, and he said my teacher is probably a member of
PETA. He said they love animals very much. I do too, especially
chicken. Anyway, my teacher sent me to the principal's office. I
told him what happened and he laughed too. Then he told me not to do
it again.

The next day in class, my teacher asked me what is my favorite live
animal. I told her it is chicken. She asked me why, so I told her it
is because you can make them into fried chicken. She sent me back to
the principal's office. He laughed and told me not to do it again. I
don't understand. My parents taught me to be honest, but my teacher
does not like it when I am.

Today, my teacher asked me to tell her what famous person I admired
most. I told her, "Colonel Sanders". Guess where I am now?

Jul 19, 2013

Since July is National Ice Cream
Month (created by Ronald Reagan in 1984) and (third Sunday in July
(July 21) is National Ice Cream Day), thought I would dish up a few
frozen goodie facts.

Ice cream has the following composition by weight: greater than 10%
milkfat by legal definition, 9 to 12% milk solids-not-fat, 12 to 16%
sweeteners, 0.2 to 0.5% stabilizers and emulsifiers, 55% to 64%
water which comes from the milk or other ingredients.

The history of ice cream dates back to the second century B.C.
The ice cream cone was invented in 1896 with a patent being issued
in 1903 to Italo Marchiony.

The United States is the top ice cream consuming country in the
world.

It takes 12 lbs. of milk to make a gallon of ice cream.

Vanilla is the number one selling flavor at 27.8%, followed by
chocolate 14.3%, strawberry 3.3% (hot dog flavored ice-cream is
made by Udder Delights in Arizona).

Chocolate syrup is the favorite topping to put on ice cream.

The major ingredient in ice cream is air.

Depending on conditions of storage, ice cream might last one year,
or it might be two weeks or less.

In the late 19th century, America's soda shops bowed to pressure
from local churches to not serve ice cream sodas on Sundays. They
removed the soda from the recipe and invented the ice cream sundae.

Ice cream is made from milk fat and milk solids. Sorbet is non-dairy
and usually high in sugar. Yogurt is usually tart with low or no fat
milk substitute. Custard is rich and smooth with lots of egg in it.

An average dairy cow can produce enough milk in her lifetime to make
a little over 9,000 gallons of ice cream.

Jan 13, 2010

Sounds like an oxymoron doesn't it. Scientists from Eindhoven University in The Netherlands have for the first time grown pork meat in the laboratory by extracting cells from a live pig and growing them in a petri dish.

The scientists, led by Professor of Physiology Mark Post, extracted myoblast cells from a living pig and grew them in a solution of nutrients derived from the blood of animal fetuses (although they intend to replace the solution with a synthesized alternative in the future).

Professor Post said artificially cultured meat could mean the meat of one animal could be increased to a volume equivalent to the meat of a million animals, which would reduce animal suffering and be good for the environment. As long as the final product looks and tastes like meat, Post said he is convinced people will buy it. Wow, pork with no methane. . .

At present the product is a sticky, soggy and unappetizing muscle mass, but the team is seeking ways to exercise and stretch the muscles to turn the product into meat of a more familiar consistency. Post described the current in-vitro meat product as resembling wasted muscle, but he is confident they can improve its texture. Nobody has yet tasted the cultured meat because laboratory rules prevent the scientists tasting the product themselves.

The research is partly funded by the Dutch government, but is also backed by the Dutch sausage-making firm Stegeman, which is owned by Sara Lee. The scientists (and presumably, the sausage makers) believe the meat product may be available for use in sausages within five years.

Other groups are also working on trying to produce cultured meat. NASA has funded research in the US on growing fish chunks from cells and meat from turkey cells, with the idea that the technology could have wide application in future space travel, since growing edible muscle would allow future astronauts to avoid a range of problems associated with using live animals in space. In a June, 2009 paper in the journal Tissue Engineering another group of scientists proposed new techniques that could lead to industrial production of meat grown in cultures.

The reaction of vegetarian groups has been mixed. A representative of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said as long as the meat was not the flesh of a dead animal there would be no ethical objection. Last year PETA even offered a prize of $1 million to the first person or group who could come up with a commercially viable cultured meat product.